The Aerobics Room is the new one-stop exercise, nutrition and info center in the neighborhood.

By Brian W. Carter, Sentinel Staff Writer

Your health is your wealth and the sooner we realize that, the quicker we'll all be on our way to truly being rich. There are a few people who get the saying very well, and Dawn Strozier is one of them.

"Once you make a true decision to change your eating habits, and once you see the results of taking good care of yourself, making good diet choices, you'll fight to eat properly," said Strozier.

Strozier is a fitness trainer and has been working in the field for over 10 years. The Aerobics Room is a workout studio, which Strozier started in March of this year in conjunction with her 501 (c) (3) organization, The Fight Against Obesity Foundation (FAOF).

She has worked with celebrities and helped many people get into shape but it's her work with children that started it all. Strozier works with kids in teaching them about good eating habits and exercise. It's through one of her students, that Strozier was inspired and saw the need to start The Aerobics Room and FAOF.

Strozier, with the help of one of her clients, actor and radio talk show host, Steve Harvey, started The Fitness Kids. The mission of the Fitness Kids was to motivate and teach kids good nutritional habits. Strozier had definitely gotten through to one of her students who insisted to her mother that she'd have the option of "a better choice" than a fast food restaurant.

"I had to have a center where I could do both, teach the parents and the kids and all the exercising," said Strozier. The Aerobics Room and FAOF came into being as a result. The Aerobic Room offers a variety of workout programs such as Cardio Step, Zumba Fitness, Pilates and Boot Camp training.

The Aerobics Room offers classes and seminars on women's and men's health, exercise, and nutrition. "We're just educating...on a number of things, In each class we promote healthy eating, teach them how to read labels, and the importance of not counting calories or looking at this as a diet but a true lifestyle," said Strozier.

Strozier touched on how increased accessibility and low prices at fast food restaurants; help to encourage unhealthy eating habits. "It's easy sometimes to stop at McDonalds and get some french fries and a hamburger because, financially, that's what fits in our pocket," said Strozier. She stressed that even though it's convenient, our health is top priority and we should seek better choices.

"It's more than just going to the gym: 80% is what you put in your mouth, while having a workout regiment that's combined with a good nutritional program, that will actually help a person fight this obesity epidemic. You got to learn how to feed yourself properly," said Strozier.

Through donations and community support, we can teach parents and kids how to create a healthy self image focusing on the overall kid, we can educate the parents on how to feed themselves properly and their kids, and we can workout the parents and the kids," said Strozier.

Strozier offered some key advice to getting our health together in these stressful and tempting times. "First thing you need to know is supplements are important. There are some things your body will not produce itself, there are some things that food no longer provides. You got to know the importance of supplements.

Secondly, you got to cut out all the fast food. We got to take some time to start cooking again at home. We have to start cooking at home.

Then the next thing we need to do, you got to understand the difference of food; what role protein plays, what role carbohydrates play, what role vegetables play...understanding the more lean muscle mass you have on your body the more effective your metabolism will run...those are the basics things we need to learn," said Strozier.

The Aerobic Room has classes on Monday from 9am-8pm, Tuesday 8pm, Wednesday 9am-8pm, Thursday 8pm, Friday 9am-8pm, Saturday 9am-11am. For more information check out the website at www.aerobicsroom.com.

The Aerobics Room is located at 3820 Crenshaw Blvd in Los Angeles, CA. You can call at (310) 289-2169. You can also visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Aerobics-Room.